Reps Set July Timeline for Constitution Review Talks

…as meeting with governors, speakers, media planned ahead of public hearings

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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has announced plans to meet with key stakeholders as part of efforts to update Nigeria’s constitution.

The Committee will meet with the Nigerian Governors Forum on July 23, 2025, to present key bills and seek their backing. It will also hold a joint retreat with members of the Senate and Speakers of the 36 State Assemblies to align proposals and avoid conflicts in the process.

As part of efforts to involve the public and key voices in the discussion, the Committee plans to engage with media leaders—including the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NUJ, and Broadcasters Association—as well as civil society groups and foreign missions. The goal is to improve public understanding of the changes being proposed and build wider support.

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, who also chairs the Constitution Review Committee, shared the timeline during a meeting in Abuja. According to him, national and zonal public hearings will begin in July, with the goal of completing the process by December 2025.

He said: “We urge members to work assiduously to ensure that the current Bills before the Committee are passed by December 2025 while also considering the possibility of a second round of amendments, as new Bills are still being sponsored by members.

“Steady progress is being made on our work plan implementation and our targets are achievable. However, there are some crucial activities that ought to be accomplished within the given timeframe.

“The second meeting/engagement with the Nigerian Governors Forum is expected to hold on Wednesday, 23 July, 2025 to present to them the Bills currently under consideration as requested during previous engagement, seek their support on the proposed amendments, secure buy-in and backing for the passage of contentious bills.

“Joint Retreat of Senate and House Constitution Review Members with Speakers/Clerks of the 36 State Houses of Assembly to harmonize Bills will hold Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th September, 2025.

“There will be a Constitution Review Committee Diplomatic Dinner (June 20th, 2025) to seek for support and collaboration from the diplomatic community on some specific thematic areas like gender, security architecture and state policing to promote global best practices.

“There will also be an engagement with Civil Society Organizations, Community Based Organisations as part of National Assembly Open Week: (Thursday 3rd, July 2025, NASS Complex; Abuja)

“The engagement will bring expertise and alternative perspectives to the constitutional review process, helping to shape our legislative decisions, by highlighting deficiencies and proposing further debates.

“It will also promote transparency, accountability and inclusivity in the processes, by ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and engaged.

“Engagement with Media Executives: (Guild of Editors, NUJ, NBAN etc) will hold on Tuesday 8th, or Wednesday 9th July, 2025, Abuja to facilitate public discussions, debates, and education on constitutional issues, helping to build consensus and foster a sense of ownership among citizens.

“The media can play a vital role in ensuring the constitution review process is inclusive, transparent, and the public is well-informed”.

Kalu also gave a timeline of the anticipated public and national hearings on the bills as well as a meeting with the 18 registered political parties in the country, saying that the idea is to ultimately aggregate the views of Nigerians.

“As discussed in our previous meetings, the Committee is poised to subject the 87 prioritized Bills that have passed second reading to Public Hearings in each of the six geopolitical zones.

“Zonal Chairmen and their Deputies are expected to liaise with States under their jurisdictions to ensure active participation in their respective zones.

“The hearings will hold as follows: Northern Geopolitical Zones – Friday 11th to Sunday 13th, July, 2025; Southern Geopolitical Zones – Friday 18th to 20th July, 2025

“National Public Hearing – Monday 21st July, 2025. Engagement with Nigeria Political Parties (18 Registered Political Parties Leadership) is expected to hold on Monday 14th July, 2025 in Abuja”, he said.

The Deputy Speaker also stated that the House will hold a one week plenary debate on the bills while voting on them is expected to hold on October 14, 2025 just as transmission of the bills to the State Assembly is also expected to hold on October 30, 2025.

“One-week plenary debate on the Constitution Review Bills to familiarize members with their contents in preparation for the voting is expected to hold on Tuesday, 7th- Thursday, 9thOctober 2025. Voting in the Plenary – Tuesday, 14th October, 2025. The Secretariat Retreat to Produce Clean Copy – Thursday 16th – Sunday, 19th October, 2025 while transmission to States: (at a ceremony in Transcorp with leadership of the Constitution Review Committee of the House and Senate with Speakers/Clerks of the state Houses of Assembly) is expected to hold on Thursday, 30th October 2025”, Kalu said.